Napa on the menu, steak on the mind
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 28, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Bowdie's reads like a greatest hits album of American steakhouse wine — Caymus, Jordan, Silver Oak, Duckhorn. You know every track before the needle drops. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it tells you exactly where the priorities are: comfort, recognition, and a clientele that orders by brand name.
With 150 to 300 labels, there's genuine depth here by Grand Rapids standards, and the California focus is executed with some care — Stag's Leap, Far Niente, and Duckhorn are legitimate picks, not just filler. Old World representation exists but feels like an afterthought, the kind of token Bordeaux and Barolo that shows up so the list looks cosmopolitan. Don't expect much outside the Napa-to-Sonoma corridor unless you dig. The list does what it's designed to do: give a table of steak lovers exactly what they came for, no surprises required.
Fifteen to twenty-five by-the-glass options is a solid pour program for a chophouse, and at least some of the heavyweights from the bottle list make appearances here. Rotation appears minimal — this is a set-and-forget program rather than something that changes with the seasons — but the core picks are dependable enough that you won't feel stuck.
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — $90
Jordan is one of those bottles that punches above its retail price point in a way the marquee names don't. It's consistently well-made, it plays well with red meat, and at a steakhouse where $150+ Napa bottles are the norm, it's the move for anyone who wants quality without the flagship markup.
Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley
Everyone at the table is ordering Cab, and that's exactly why you should order this. Duckhorn's Merlot is serious wine — plush, structured, and built for a ribeye — and it gets slept on the second it sits next to Silver Oak on a list. Most tables walk right past it. Don't be most tables.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Caymus is omnipresent on lists like this for a reason — people know it, people order it, and restaurants mark it up accordingly. It's a fine wine, but you're paying a premium for the brand recognition, and the markup at a chophouse at this price point makes it a bad deal. The Jordan or Stag's Leap will serve you better for the money.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon + Chef-cut filet
Stag's Leap has always been the more elegant side of Napa Cab — less extracted, more finesse — and that restraint makes it the right call with a filet rather than a bone-in ribeye. The wine's structure frames the lean, buttery cut without bulldozing it.
✔️ The Bottom Line
Bowdie's is a reliable special-occasion wine stop if you know the California playbook and aren't hunting for surprises. The markups sting and the list won't challenge you, but the core producers are solid and the pour program gives you enough rope to find something worth drinking.
Downtown / Amway Grand Plaza · Grand Rapids · Spanish / Modern European
MDRD is a Wild Card because it earns its badge the hard way: a hotel rooftop in the Midwest has no business carrying Bodega Chacra or a thoughtful local Michigan Pinot, and yet here we are. Markups keep it from being a destination wine list, but if you're already up there for the views and the paella, there are worse ways to spend your glass pours.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · New American / Teaching Restaurant
A teaching restaurant that could embarrass a few actual restaurants on the wine front — fair prices, genuine producers, and a France-meets-Michigan list that has more intention behind it than most spots charging twice as much. Go in without expectations and leave genuinely impressed.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Fondue-focused American/Swiss-style chain
The Melting Pot's wine list is the dining equivalent of a reliable sedan — it gets you where you're going without any surprises, good or bad. Send a friend here for the experience, not the wine, but reassure them they won't be embarrassed by what's in the glass.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Kentwood / Southeast · Grand Rapids · Upscale Casual American
Cooper's Hawk Kentwood is exactly what it is — a well-run chain winery restaurant with fair prices, a crowd-pleasing list, and staff that's enthusiastic if not deeply expert. Don't come here expecting to find your new favorite grower Champagne; do come here knowing you'll drink something decent without getting gouged.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Midtown · Grand Rapids · Gastro Pub / Contemporary American Comfort Food
The Friesian is a neighborhood pub that happens to have wine — and there's nothing wrong with that. Come on a Wednesday when glasses are half price, order the Tempranillo or the Malbec, and stop overthinking it.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Seasonal Rotation
Acceptable
Downtown · Grand Rapids · Casual Italian-American, Sports Bar
Uccello's Downtown is a perfectly solid place to watch a game and eat a pizza — just don't show up expecting the wine list to match the ambition of the kitchen. Order the Nero d'Avola, grab it during happy hour if you can, and save your serious wine drinking for somewhere else.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Occasional
Acceptable
East Boulevard · Montgomery · Steakhouse
Outback Montgomery's wine program is a formality, not a feature — it checks the box without breaking a sweat or a single new grape variety. If wine matters to you tonight, order the Riesling, keep expectations grounded, and save the serious bottle for a restaurant that actually cares.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Overland Park · Overland Park · Steakhouse
Outback Overland Park is a fine place to eat a steak, but the wine list is a corporate afterthought — overpriced relative to what's in the bottle and built for comfort, not curiosity. Order the Petite Sirah if you must, but honestly, get a cocktail.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
North Columbus · Columbus · Steakhouse
Buckhead Steak and Wine is the reliable anchor of the Columbus dining scene — no surprises, no revelations, but a solid California-heavy list that does exactly what a prime steakhouse wine program should do. Send a friend here for a big steak dinner; just steer them toward the Jordan instead of the Caymus.
Plays It Safe
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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